Strike on two buses in Kramatorsk kills 30, Ukrainian officials say

A strike hit two passenger buses in Kramatorsk, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, on Thursday 8 October 2026. Ukrainian authorities attribute the strike to Russia.

The Donetsk regional prosecutor's office said 30 people were killed and 18 wounded. "As of now, the death toll from this morning's attack on buses has risen to 30. Eighteen people were wounded," the office said in a statement quoted by The Guardian. The regional governor's office gave the same figures. It said public transport had been suspended. Ukrainian officials published images showing bodies and debris on a road and the burned shell of a bus.

Kramatorsk is one of the main Donetsk cities still held by Ukraine. It has served as a military logistics hub. It is part of Ukraine's defensive "fortress belt". Russian forces have advanced toward the city's eastern outskirts. This has prompted calls for the remaining civilians to evacuate. Russia claims the Donetsk region as part of Russia.

According to Al Jazeera, police said the buses were hit with a glide bomb. According to DW, an earlier toll was 12 killed and 14 wounded. The Guardian reports that local officials say Russian forces have stepped up drone and guided-bomb strikes on cities in the "fortress belt".

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe independent verification of the casualty figures or of who carried out the strike. All figures come from Ukrainian authorities.

What is disputed

• Death toll: most outlets report 30 killed. Al Jazeera's article text gives at least 33. Its headline gives at least 12, which matches the earlier toll.
• Location: police described a street where two city buses were operating, according to Al Jazeera. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as a bus stop.
• Images: The Guardian attributes them to police. Al Jazeera attributes them to the local prosecutor's office.

What each side says

Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russia of "deliberately targeting civilians", according to Al Jazeera. "It chooses targets where it can cause the most pain to civilians," DW quoted him as saying. The Kramatorsk City Council said: "Once again, the Russians have struck a location where there are absolutely no military targets," according to Al Jazeera.

According to Al Jazeera, Moscow made no immediate comment. Russia generally denies targeting civilians. According to The Guardian, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the rest of the Donetsk region before Russia stops fighting. Kyiv refuses.

Data centre in Russia

Separately, drones hit a Yandex data centre in Russia's Ryazan region on Thursday, causing a fire, according to the company. Reuters described it as the first major attack on a Russian data hub. A former head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation, who is not named in the reports, said Kyiv was responsible. "Two can play at this game," he wrote on Telegram, according to Al Jazeera. The reports do not include an official Ukrainian government claim of responsibility.

Analysis

The Kramatorsk strike comes as Russian forces have advanced toward the city's outskirts. The suspension of public transport may affect residents who remain. It may also affect any evacuation, although the reports do not say how long the suspension will last. The figures and the attribution come only from Ukrainian authorities. Moscow had made no immediate comment. Independent verification would help clarify the differing tolls. The Yandex incident points to possible strikes on Russian digital infrastructure. Without an official claim, responsibility remains unconfirmed. Both events touch on Russia's demand that Ukraine cede the rest of Donetsk, which Kyiv rejects. Whether they affect that position is not addressed in the reports.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.